1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device, a computer program product for controlling an image processing device, and an image processing system.
2. Description of Related Art
Environments in which multiple computers (for example, personal computers) and multiple image processing devices are connected to a network are in widespread use nowadays.
When a user uses an image forming device from a personal computer or the like that is connected to a network in an environment where multiple image forming devices, which are a type of image processing device, are connected to the network, the user needs to specify one of the multiple image forming devices to use. Identification information such as an IP (Internet Protocol) address and a unique name is assigned to each image forming device for identifying the image forming device.
Accordingly, when the user uses an image forming device from a personal computer or the like, the user uses the identification information to specify the image forming device to use and performs printing or the like. If the user does not know the identification information of the image forming device which the user wants to use, the user has to know the identification information. However, to know such identification information, the user has to perform some operation. There has been therefore a problem that if the user does not know how to perform the operation, the user may not know the identification information, and may not specify the desired image forming device.
A related art to solve the problem is to display an image forming device on a personal computer in a readily identifiable manner in response to a particular operation on the image forming device. See Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-32626. In this art, an operation for accepting a specification of printing or the like is performed from an operation panel of an image forming device. Then, when the image forming device is searched by multicast from a personal computer, the operated image forming device provides a response with additional information such as renaming the device. According to the response from the operated image forming device, a display is presented on the personal computer that has multicast in accordance with the additional information. As a result, the desired image forming device can be readily identified by the additional information.
However, the related art requires a particular operation on the image forming device. Therefore, the fundamental problem that the user may not know identification information if the user does not know how to perform the operation remains unsolved.
In addition, a new problem arises that when a user other than the user who performed the particular operation uses the image forming device, if the image forming device has been renamed, the other user may not determine whether the renamed device is the same as the device which the other user wants to use and may not select the correct image forming device. The user who performed the particular operation can readily identify the image forming device immediately after the particular operation but, if the device name was changed back to the original name, the user may not identify the image forming device again when the user attempt to use the image forming device at a later date.